Notice
Ready to Soar
Yuv Khosla ’17 left campus in June with more than just a diploma. He also completed his private pilot’s license. The economics and religion major recently returned home to New Delhi, India, to join his father’s micro nance business. He plans to pursue higher levels of flight training and one day hopes to start a
Cool Geeks
Williams College’s 228th Commencement took place June 4 against the stunning back- drop of Sawyer Library. President Adam Falk conferred degrees on 525 seniors. Another 13 students in the History of Art program and 30 fellows from the Center for Development Economics received master’s degrees. Commencement speaker Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie told the Class of 2017,
Carter Wins NSF CAREER Grant
Assistant biology professor Matt Carter has received a prestigious CAREER grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF). The five-year, $586,000 grant, awarded to junior faculty, will support his research into sleep and wakefulness. His research project, “Bidirectional Control of Sleep and Wakefulness by the Hypothalamic Arcuate Nucleus,” studies two populations of neurons to better understand
Bicentennial Medalists to be Honored
During Convocation on Sept. 16, five alumni will receive Bicentennial Medals for distinguished service in their fields. This year’s recipients are: Ira Mickenberg ’72, founder and director of the National Defender Training Project, which seeks to improve the quality of legal representation for indigent criminal defendants; Dr. Richard Besser ’81, CEO of the Robert Wood
Ephs Bring Home Directors’ Cup
After trailing Washington University in St. Louis through the fall and winter, eight Eph teams combined to score a spring record of 630 points, helping to capture the college’s fifth straight Learfield Sports Directors’ Cup. The Ephs have won the cup 20 times in the 22-year history of the award, presented by the National Association
New Trustees Join Board
On July 1, Williams welcomed Leila H. Jere ’91 and Jillian E. Charles ’91 to its Board of Trustees. Jere is vice president for customer success at Full Circle Insights, a marketing data company based in California. She previously served as president of the Society of Alumni, a member of the Executive Committee and president
At A Glance: 50 Years of Environmental Studies
In 1967, newly hired professor Andrew Scheffey ’50 taught Williams’ first environmental studies course: Resource Policy and the Environment. That fall, President Jack Sawyer ’39 named Scheffey director of a newly created Center for Environmental Studies (CES)—a first for a liberal arts college. “Almost no other subject has as broad a spectrum of contact with
Four Alumni Receive Guggenheim Fellowships
Four Williams alumni were awarded Guggenheim fellowships this year: Robin Broad ’76, a professor at American University’s School of International Service; novelist Fiona Maazel ’97; poet and MacArthur fellow Claudia Rankine ’86; and choreographer Will Rawls ’00. The grants are made freely and with no conditions, allowing the fellows—a total of 173 scholars, artists and
Morey Named VP for College Relations
Megan Morey joined the campus community as vice president of college relations on May 1. Morey most recently served in an analogous role as chief advancement officer at Amherst College. Before that, she worked at Williams from 2000 to 2007, first as a senior development officer and then as director of leadership giving. Now she
In Memoriam
Retired professors Raymond Chang and Richard O. Rouse Jr. passed away in April. Chang was 77, and Rouse was 95. Chang, the Halford R. Clark Professor of Natural Sciences, emeritus, came to Williams in 1968. A prolific author, he produced textbooks on chemistry well into his retirement and was the author of several children’s books
A Closer Look: Performing Sculpture
Amy Podmore, professor of art, and Deb Brothers, costume director and lecturer in theater, taught a new course in the spring: The Sculptural Costume and Its Performance Potential. Students studied visual artists such as Nick Cave and Hélio Oiticica and learned how wearable art is central to Bauhaus dance, Carnival and Dada performance. They also
